Le Grand Voyage — Day 18

Dorinna left in the morning to return to the Orsay, but we had other plans- it was Daddy-Nate day! We started by playing with his Playmobil knights because… well, just because. Then we embarked on our great adventure together.

Our first stop- Les Egouts de Paris. Translation: The sewers of Paris. Obviously this is a metaphor for something, and not an actual… what’s that you say? Oh. Yes, really. It’s an underground museum dedicated to sewers. There are mildly interesting displays telling about the development of the sewer system, where waste went before the sewer system was built (hint: It was really bad to live down river)(Also: ewwww), and equipment used to clear out the tunnels and keep them moving properly. You get to walk on a catwalks and bridges over what is literally a river of shit. Nate thought it smelled, but at least he learned where the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles live. All kidding aside, Nate recited facts from the museum several weeks after our visit, so it was actually educational.

Back in the sweet-smelling air of urban Paris, we walked downstream along the Seine, thankful that it is now much cleaner. We looked at boats and people walking by.

Before too long we found ourselves at the Eiffel tower. At least as importantly, we found ourselves at a food stand. We each had crêpes. A crêpe complete (egg, ham, cheese) for me, banana and Nutella for Nate. We rested and ate at a Seine-side park. Nate chased pigeons, crows, and other birds away from the grass for as long as I let him. Since this was Daddy-Nate day, this was quite a while.

We then set out for my second great idea of the day- the Musée National de la Marine (National Maritime Museum). This was at Trocadero Plaza- one carousel ride, one hill climb, and several stops to watch skateboarders later, we were there.

The museum was, obviously, dedicated to boats. It contained Napolean’s party barge, decorative bowsprits, maritime paintings, and more models than you could shake a boom at. The models ranged from old sailing ships to modern day aircraft carriers. Intricate and large, Nate was fascinated by every one.

He was also fascinated by the audioguide. This was his first time using one, and he must have listened to every track.

This little six-year-old spent at least 20 minutes staring at paintings of boats by Old Dutch masters while listening to the guide. Incredible. We spent almost 3 hours in this museum, and left only because he was too tired to stay upright. But not that tired- he still managed to remind me “we forgot to get ice cream” before we made it back to the Metro.

An absolutely wonderfuly day for both of us!